The U-curve of happiness: Why old age is a time of psychological bliss | Ashton Applewhite

Here's why many 80 year olds are probably happier than you. - The U-curve of happiness shows that we humans are most content at the beginnings and ends of our lives. - The famous midlife crisis is the trough of our happiness because it's a time when we have responsibility for people older and younger than us, and we grow aware that we may not fulfill the dreams of our youth. - Children and people in their 80s are uniquely able to live in the moment and be happy because they live at a neurological and psychological sweet spot, respectively. Ashton Applewhite is a Brooklyn-based activist and writer. Her latest book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, debunks many myths about late life (https://goo.gl/Ln6idn) Read more at BigThink.com: Follow Big Think here: https://ift.tt/2tWcXjF YouTube: http://goo.gl/CPTsV5 Facebook: https://ift.tt/1qJMX5g Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigthink